Abortion Bill Faces Resistance In Australia's New South Wales
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
[In Australia,] State's upper house drags feet in passing law legalising abortion despite an overwhelming 75-percent support by voters.
The Reproductive Health Care Act 2019, which seeks to bring the state in line with the rest of Australia, would allow abortion up to 22 weeks. It was passed by the state lower house in August, with 59 votes in favour and 31 against. The bill's backers say the change will protect women and reduce some of the stigma associated with the procedure, but the legislation has attracted intense debate and national attention.
Barnaby Joyce, a former deputy prime minister, claimed the bill ignored the rights of unborn children and, at an anti-abortion rights rally over the weekend, former prime minister Tony Abbott alleged the move to decriminalise would enable "infanticide on demand".
Terminations have existed in a legal grey area - allowed for health or economic reasons, but still carrying a risk of prosecution. "We need to take abortion out of the Crimes Act and give women autonomy over their decisions," Family Planning NSW Medical Director Dr Deborah Bateson told Al Jazeera.
A survey released this month by Pro-Choice NSW showed that more than 77 percent of the state's residents support decriminalisation.
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